


London Calling

by Starb_uck



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Dom/sub Undertones, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Pickled eggs and pork scratchings, Sub Sameen Shaw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17006043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starb_uck/pseuds/Starb_uck
Summary: A number takes Shaw and Root to England. Shaw’s less than happy about it and gets bratty. Short and silly.





	London Calling

“It’s not a British pub, Sameen. Don’t say that. You don’t want to rile the natives”.

“whaddaya mean, it isn’t a British pub?? We’re in goddamn Britain, aren’t we??”

Root sighs, and reaches across the gnarly old oak table to take Shaw’s hand. Shaw immediately detaches her hand and pushes back her bangs. More out of principle than anything else. 

“Yes, Shaw, we’re in Britain. But we’re also in a particular *part of Britain. Now what part is that, sweetie?”

Shaw glowers at her. “Don’t be smart, Root”.

Root grins. “Wouldn’t dream of it, my little sugarplum. Just trying to help you out here, that’s all. Want another?” She gestures to Shaw’s nearly empty glass. 

Shaw grunts, which Root takes as assent. She’s excited about this mission, the two of them after a number in London together.. she wants to do all of the touristy things, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s, Westminster... 

Until it’s time to act, Shaw just wants to get drunk. 

Root watches Shaw drain her glass with an annoying smile on her face, then strands and snags their empty glasses together with one hand. Shaw cocks an eyebrow- interested at last. It’s quite hot, actually. Root has two water glasses and two whiskey glasses safe and secure in her long fingers, and she suddenly imagines those strong capable fingers being other places, doing other things..

Shaw swallows. Looks up from the glasses to Root’s face, and remembers herself. She swaps the stunned mullet look for her standard frown. 

“What the hell are you doing?”

Root looks down at her, glasses still secure in her left hand. She uses the other to tug at the front of her shirt, wafting. 

“Hot in here, isn’t it, sweetie?” She smiles sweetly. 

Shaw growls inside. Dammit. 

“Stop trying to distract me. What are you doing with those?” She gestures at the glasses, and tries to stop thinking thoughts of Root’s fingers. 

Root looks down. “What, these? I’m just taking them back to the bar, sweetie”.

“Why?”

Root sighs. She sits the glasses back down on the table (no goddamn clink of tableware, either..) 

“Because, my love, we want to blend in, don’t we?” She gives Shaw a ‘duh’ look. 

Shaw looks nonplussed, and Root sighs. 

“It’s what they do, here! At least, you don’t have to, but the wait staff...” she stops, listens, corrects herself- “..the *bar staff, they appreciate it. It means you’re more likely to get served first, next time you go up to the bar”.

“Yeah, what is this ‘going to the bar’ shit, anyway?” 

Shaw’s in full on grump mode now. She hates British missions; she’s not allowed to bring her guns. And the food sucks. And the weather... don’t even. It’s June, and it hasn’t stopped fucking raining the whole two days they’ve been in town. The only minor plus is that Root’s here, and even that isn’t turning out to be much of a plus. She’s being so damn annoying. 

“You’ve been here before, Shaw! You don’t need me to tell you!!”

Root’s getting annoyed herself now, and Shaw allows herself a small private smile. Provoke her enough, and there might be compensations to this shitty mission after all. 

Root huffs. “Fine. You don’t get table service here, except in the really fancy places. Local bars, like this one, you get served at the bar, you pay up front..”

Shaw splutters; affects total meltdown- “Pay up front??”

Root patiently ignores her. 

“...*pay up front, then you take your drinks to your table. If you can find one”. She looks around the crowded pub. “If you can’t, you stand awkwardly in a circle with your mates..”

“...mates??”

Root glares now. Shaw imagines her with her librarian glasses slipping down over her eyes, and grins internally. 

“...with your *friends..., pretending you’re having a good time, until somebody leaves and you can pounce on their table”

Root grins at Shaw’s confused expression. “Look around, sweetie, if you don’t believe me”. 

Shaw does. There are indeed groups of office workers standing around in smart shirts and slightly loosened ties. They’re clutching pints and talking determinedly only to the people in their immediate group; the people they came in with. She also notices their sly room-scanning.. even as she watches, she sees a group of city suits descend like vultures upon a recently vacated table. 

She shakes her head, as if it clear it. “Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re taking your.. *our, glasses back to the bar..”

“Yes it does!!” Root looks like she wants to stamp her foot now, and Shaw is laughing laughing laughing inside. “I told you, we need information, and Billy behind the bar there is the one who has it”.

“Ooooh... Billy... Billleeeee.....”

Shaw’s still totally deadpan, but the pressure of keeping her amusement in check is almost killing her. Root finally wises up to the fact that she’s being ripped and becomes very calm. She sits, and faces Shaw very severely across the table. She folds her hands together neatly, and Shaw feels a delicious low down twinge. 

“I see. If you wanted a session tonight, sweetie, why didn’t you just ask me?”

Shaw smirks at her. “Because that wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun?”

Root laughs out loud, surprised out of character for a moment. 

“Oh Shaw...” she’s still grinning, and Shaw can see gears working behind her eyes. She waits, grinning herself inside. 

“Fine. Here’s the deal. First I kick your sorry ass at pool. Loser has to eat a pickled egg and a packet of pork scratchings...”

“A whatt??”

“....and then we’ll talk”.

**Author's Note:**

> This one may continue.. I’m thinking a spanking on the London Eye may be in order.. :)


End file.
